


How he dares being dared

by onestepatatime32



Category: Romeo And Juliet - All Media Types, Romeo et Juliette - Presgurvic
Genre: Just a bit of fluff really, M/M, Pre Canon, the boys have a mildly messy night
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:06:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25612540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onestepatatime32/pseuds/onestepatatime32
Summary: Mercutio is a whirlwind and a fighter, but some nights are moments to slow down.
Relationships: Mercutio/Romeo Montague
Comments: 6
Kudos: 18
Collections: Rare Male Slash Exchange 2020





	How he dares being dared

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Alley_Skywalker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alley_Skywalker/gifts).



> For the Rare Male Slash Exchange 2020~

Mercutio felt the burning in his leg spike as he ran and winced. He stumbled; the gash in his leg was getting hard to move quickly with. He could tell it was bad, though he hadn’t looked at it. Looking at it would only make the pain more real, and he needed to get away. He closed his eyes a moment and considered the feet pounding behind him in the street. He’d lose them for a moment with the right route, be closer to the center of town and, with luck, near enough Montague territory to have some better defense. 

He never got the chance to chart a course, though, because careening around a corner with his head spinning led him to crashing bodily into the unseen approaching cart. A second later he was on his back staring at the all-too-blinding Verona sky in a daze. 

“You’re  _ dead _ Escalus!”

_ Shit.  _ He scrambled frantically. Feeling a hand grasp his arm he flung himself backward on the street, but froze when he realized its owner. “Romeo?” 

“What’s up, are you alright?” Romeo pulled him upright. 

_ Capulets around the corner _ . Mercutio yanked Romeo into an alley and tried to sound casual. “Perfect timing, knight in shining armor.” 

“You look terrible.”

Mercutio heard someone shout his name and the sound of a knife being unsheathed somewhere in the street beside them. “I—”

The decision was split-second. He heard the Capulets rounding the corner and felt his leg buckle, then fell back against the alley wall, dragging Romeo against him. “Kiss me,” he hissed urgently, “need a ruse.”. 

Romeo’s endless, beautiful eyes widened in shock, but he nodded quickly. Mercutio couldn’t help shivering at the closeness.

Romeo’s kiss was soft and cautious, but not uncomfortable. Mercutio closed his eyes for a moment and lost his pain in the feeling of Romeo’s lips on his, Romeo’s hand idly tangling in his hair, Romeo’s chest pressed against him. Distantly, he registered the capulets moving on. Romeo broke away. 

“Are they gone?” 

Mercutio was too dizzy to do much more than nod. 

Romeo’s eyes widened. “Are you alright?” Your leg—”

“It’s fine. See?” Mercutio took a step and sagged against the wall again. He finally dared a glance at the ugly streak of blood staining his clothes and felt his stomach lurch. 

“It’s not! Let me see!” 

“Not here...I’m not sure they won’t come back. Are your parents home?”

Romeo reflected for a moment. “Probably. They’d be upset if you came in looking like this, though…” 

Mercutio laughed. “Well, doors are overrated anyway. Any  _ better _ ways into your house?” 

Romeo snorted. “You probably know more of them than I do. I’m not sure any usual ones would be easy, though; dad’s been on a cleaning warpath. There’s that old second floor window, but that can’t be safe…”

“Oh cmon, I dare you! Unless you’re too afraid...” Mercutio taunted lightly.

“What does THAT have to do with it? I meant for  _ you,  _ dumbass, you’re hurt!”

“Oh.” 

There was an excruciating pause. 

Mercutio shifted awkwardly. “Well, better hurry before it gets dark.” 

* * *

Romeo was more impressive at climbing than Mercutio remembered. Klutzy as he could be sometimes with his all-too-long limbs, there was a genuine beauty to the way he slipped up through the tree next to the house. He reached the window and smiled down at Mercutio triumphantly. Mercutio idly considered that that smile could light up the twilight all on its own. 

“See? Didn’t know we had this window even, did you? Now…” Romeo trailed off as the window failed to budge under his hand. “Just, uh…” he rattled the window again to no avail. “They LOCKED it! It’s never been locked!” he sighed dramatically and flung an arm out in defeat. “What’s the world coming to?”

Mercutio snickered. No way he could’ve made that climb on his leg anyway. “Wanna come down from there?”

Romeo slunk down from the tree miserably. 

“Well, guess we’re staying out tonight.”

The sun had all but set. Mercutio wondered if there’d be trouble later over Romeo failing to come home, but Romeo’s parents were so inconsistent with their concern for their son’s whereabouts and wellbeing he had no idea. He felt dizzy, suddenly remembering the gash in his leg. 

“Where to, then?”

* * *

With an air of infinite seriousness and care Romeo helped him lie down on the roof they had eventually wandered to and gently bandaged his leg. It hurt a great deal, but for all his reputation for dramatics Mercutio had never had trouble biting back pain. It seemed wrong, somehow, to break the strange spell the silence had lain over the evening. Mercutio watched Romeo’s hands as he worked. He wished he could kiss those kind hands, spill his guts in a stream of confessions and show his friend the way he cared for him, but he would never have known where to start. Words had never been his way.

They lay there under the cloud-mottled stars for a time. They talked about nothing; the latest trivial woes of their families, the gossip from town, theories on how to exploit Benvolio’s horrible crush on Tybalt Capulet. At last it was Romeo who dared to prod the tension. 

“Hey, about earlier, I wanted to say I-I didn’t mind it, you know?”

Mercutio felt every sound in the world disappear except Romeo’s voice and his own pounding heart. 

Romeo’s words were tumbling out chaotically now. “And I didn’t want you to worry, you know, I mean it’s not like we’ve ever...like I’ve ever...but I don’t mind! And it...it was nice…”

“It...was?” 

“I’m sorry! Yes, I mean, I don’t know, I know it was just you needed to hide and all but I...I think maybe—”

With one terrible, final effort Mercutio forced the words from his constricted throat. “Do you want to try again? Sometime?”

“I-“ Romeo’s voice was breathless. “Yes, I think.”

Mercutio hadn’t even registered how close together they were lying before. He leaned back on his elbows. His voice was hardly above a whisper. “I dare you, then.”

This kiss was even softer and more nervous than the last. Mercutio thought distantly that if he were the crying type, this would do him in. 

The moment was cut short by the sudden burst of rain. Neither had registered the gathering clouds. 

Mercutio broke away and flopped flat on the roof. “Oh, come ON.”

“Better make a run for it,” said Romeo as he scrambled upright, “there’s gotta be SOMEWHERE dry.”

* * *

The first thing Mercutio registered when he woke the next morning was the comfortable weight of Romeo lying against his side. The second was Benvolio’s voice. 

“...and under a  _ bridge _ of all places, you had me worrying so much when I heard about the fight yesterday! You both know you could have thrown a rock at my window or something if you needed to sneak in the house.” 

Romeo stirred beside him and Mercutio heard his bleary reply. 

“I’m sorry Benvo, it was nice enough outside before the rain, though!”

“You mean  _ cloudy  _ and  _ clearly  _ heralding a storm? You’re both soaked!”

Mercutio laughed lazily. “And what of it?”

Romeo draped himself back over Mercutio's chest and sighed. “He does have a point.” 

Mercutio didn’t know what had changed or if anything had. He felt that to ask would be to shatter the dream, but for now, he thought, perhaps the dream was sweet enough. 


End file.
